How To Write A Novel: Advice From The Book Trust

An interesting list of 25 rules on how to write a novel, http://www.booktrust.org.uk/books/writing/writing-tips/41/. I especially agree with the following points:

“4. Right now, forget about money. It eats imagination”.

“11. Ignore discouragement. You’ll never know real negativity until you tell people you are writing a novel. The last thing a human who spends their day

selling home insurance in an office that smells of egg sandwiches and despair wants to hear is that their old school-friend is going to be an international

bestselling author. So ignore them. All of them. Well, except that latter-day Malcolm Bradbury, Katy Perry: ‘Make ‘em go, oh, oh, oh/ As you shoot across

the sky”.

“13. Write as though your mother will never read it”.

“19. Write the book you most want to read. That will be the best book you can write”.

“23. Read it aloud. You’ll notice more mistakes that way”. (Points 24 and 25 also resonated strongly with me).

I am not sure about point 16, that it is OK to write about people you know provided you change the names. Surely a character who is portrayed in an unflattering manner may object and, in extreme cases take legal action. Even if the name has been changed that person may still recognise themselves in your writing and if they can prove you portrayed them in an unflattering light (damaged their reputation) you are, potentially in hot water of the legal variety.